A Business Affair (Ouran High School Host Club Kyoya Ootori x OC)
by littlekitty441
Summary: Miki Koizumi goes to the prestigious Ouran High School on her cousin Mori's money. Upon meeting the host club, Miki is recruited to bake for the club to repay Mori and save the club money. When her parents find out that Miki is not attending school scholarship, Miki's parents threaten to pull her out. What will Miki do about her budding feelings for a certain member?
1. Chapter 1: A Bold Investment

Hi:) Welcome to A Business Affair. I haven't watched Ouran in a long while, but I suddenly got the inspiration to start writing! This started out as a Tamaki x OC but I decided to change it halfway through.

Writing Kyoya was super difficult. No joke.  
>All of the chapter titles are business terms, which was an idea I had when I was watching And So Kyoya Met Him for inspiration.<br>Enjoy!

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><p>"No, I'm really nervous, Mori!"<p>

He smiled kindly. "You'll do fine."

"Easy for you to say...You have great friends and a great home and money-" Mori looked up from the ground to meet her eyes. He glanced at her as if he was saying, "Oh, please," and then returned his gaze to the floor.

"Mori, you know I feel absolutely sucky about borrowing your parents' money to go to Ouran. I don't fit in and I never will."

"Miki, you deserve a good education. Money can't replace that." Miki was silent, still reveling in the amount of words coming out of her typically silent friend's mouth.

"T-thanks...thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me."

He grunted in response.

The next day, Miki was up and dressed in her pastel yellow uniform. She tugged at the waistline of the dress and adjusted the bow in her dark blonde hair.

"There is no way I'm showing up at a rich school looking like a mess," she muttered to herself.

After she packed her bag, she hopped in her dad's hybrid and prayed for the best.

Upon arriving at the school, Miki couldn't help but be amazed at what she was presented with. Everything around her exuded money and everyone around her reeked of class.

She looked around her and met a pair-no, two pairs-of sparkling eyes.

"Takashi~is that Mi-chan?" A small blond boy sitting on Mori's shoulders asked.

She smiled and waved. "Honey! I'm so happy to see you!" Mori lifted Honey off of his shoulders and onto the ground. The ball of fluff ran towards Miki and hugged her.

"Mi-chan, I haven't seen you in forever!"

Miki laughed. "It's only been two months."

Mori jerked his head towards the school building with an inquiring look on his face. "If that's what you're asking, then, yes. I took a tour around the school earlier. I won't get lost, don't worry," Miki said, her face buried in her bag. She pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper.

"Aha! Found my schedule!"

"Mi-chan? Are you going to eat with us at lunch? You should come and eat cake with me!"

"Ok, ok, just as long as you promise me that you'll introduce me to your friends that you've talked so much about," Miki replied. "I gotta go. See ya, Honey. Bye, Mori."

The day passed by almost too quickly, with little to no trouble. Miki had encountered some annoying twins and some snarky girls, but she had also befriended a second-year named Haruhi.

"So, guys, when do I get to meet your friends?" Miki asked Honey and Mori.

"Now!" Honey shouted and dragged her and Mori down the hall, landing in front of Music Room 3.

"Music room? I didn't know you two played instruments."

"We don't, Mi-chan." Honey winked at her and opened the door.

The strong scent of roses was the first thing that Miki's mind could register.

The second was a blond man up in her face, one hand underneath her chin and the other holding a red rose.

"O-oh my...thank you..."

"Tamaki Suoh, your prince. And you are?" His eyes were the most beautiful shade of violet and his smile was disarming.

"Ah-um-erm-" Miki's face was as red as a tomato.

In order to save his friend from drowning in Tamaki's splendor, Honey finally spoke up.

"Tama-chan, this is Mi-chan, me and Takashi's friend. Actually, Mi-chan's our relative."

Tamaki stepped back, a little stunned at the news. He bowed. "Mi-chan, it's a pleasure to meet you." The blond lifted Miki's hand and lightly kissed it, rendering her even more speechless.

"Welcome to the host club-" Tamaki started.

"Miki Koizumi-top of the class, straight A student who previously studied at a relatively obscure public school," a thick, dark voice said behind her. Miki whipped around to see a tall man wearing glasses. "No large family business, no inheritance...fascinating...you're not here on scholarship either," His voice almost drawled on every syllable, sounding like warm molasses. He looked at her with a curious gleam in his eyes.

Panicking, Miki glanced around her, looking for Mori and Honey, who had abandoned her in lieu of cake and girls. At the moment, she was sandwiched between two attractive, rich men, and Miki had never felt so uncomfortably happy.

"Mama~you mean to say that Mi-chan has no money?"

Miki looked up at Tamaki in silent horror.

"Yes. But is that a bad thing?" He turned to Miki. "I apologize for Tamaki's and my poor manners. I'm Kyoya Ootori. Welcome to the host club. I reckon you can figure out the lay of this place, right?" He flashed Miki a dazzling smile.

"Um, I suppose so." She nervously laughed. "I guess I'll go with Honey and Mori today." She glanced back at Kyoya, who had opened up a black book and begun to write in it. He closed it and stepped back.

"Have fun, Miss Koizumi." Miki took this chance to look around. She spotted the annoying twins from earlier engaging in some homosexual behavior and Haruhi on his couch entertaining some girls. She finally walked towards her two friends and plopped down in a seat next to them.

"Hey."

"Hiya, Mi-chan! Come and have some cake with me and Usa-chan and Takashi!"

"Ok, ok."

"Who's this, Honey-chan?" A raven haired girl cooed.

"Yeah, Mori, she never comes here," another asked.

"Miki's our relative, right, Takashi?"

Mori nodded in agreement.

"But you can't host her, right, Mori?"

"That's incest," another chimed.

Miki half-smiled. "I'm new to this place and I wanted to start somewhere familiar. You two can have Mori and Honey," she said. "I'm not really good at this flirting stuff."

"Don't worry, Miki," one of the girls said. "We're all in the same boat."

After a few days of frequenting the host club instead of doing homework, Miki decided to try something she thought she would never do.

"Which host would you like today?" Kyoya asked, the light from the room reflecting off of his glasses.

"Tamaki." Kyoya responded with raised eyebrows.

"Alright, Miss Koizumi." Kyoya gestured to a red sofa covered with girls packed like sardines. Miki apprehensively sat down on the edge of the sofa, half hoping no one would notice her and half hoping someone would.

"Tamaki-kun, you have a visitor," one of the girls whispered.

"Who's she?"

"I've never seen her here before."

"Is she a host-hopper?"

Miki shifted awkwardly in her seat, watching Tamaki gracefully make his way over to where she was sitting.

"Sorry, my princess. I was too wrapped up in entertaining these beautiful ladies." The girls behind him swooned. "But, please forgive me, Miki," he whispered in her ear.

His breath tickled her neck delightfully. "We'll have to see about that," she whispered back. Tamaki leaned back in mild surprise. After regaining his posture he leaned closer.

"How charming," he said. "Even you look surprised by your response. You know, you're cleverer than you think." He playfully batted her nose with his hand, somehow coloring Miki's face a deeper shade of red.

"...Thank you..."

"It is my pleasure."

Miki reveled in his compliment the rest of the afternoon.

When it was time to leave, Miki stayed behind in the host club so that none of the girls would see her walk home.

"So~you're the new girl," both of the annoying twins said in unison.

"You're Haruhi's friend, right? What's your name?"

Miki glanced between the twins, struggling to discern between the two.

"I-I'm Miki. Miki Koizumi."

"So, Hikaru, wanna go bother Boss?" the one Miki thought was Hikaru said.

"Huh?" Miki asked, still a little off-put by their warning.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Kaoru and that's Hikaru."

"But I thought you were Hikaru...Now you're Kaoru?"

They snickered and dashed away.

"The one on the left is Kaoru and the one of the right is Hikaru. You'd better learn to tell the difference between the two or they'll keep bothering you."

"Oh, hi, Haruhi. Thanks so much; they were bugging me earlier today. By the way, did you understand the Calc lesson today? It made absolutely no sense." Haruhi laughed.

"Nope. I figured you would know because you're a genius."

"Math is my worst subject," Miki replied. "If I could, I would repeat Algebra over and over and over again, until I've completed the required credits."

This time, they both laughed.

"Miss Koizumi?" Miki turned around.

"Yes?"

"I have something to ask of you," Kyoya asked. "This is incredibly rude to ask a customer, but I heard that you're attending Ouran with Mori's money. Is this true?"

Blushing, Miki nodded. "My dad didn't receive the application for scholarship until it was too late, and I really wanted to go to Ouran. Mori offered to pay for me and pretend I was under scholarship." She looked away from Kyoya. "Please don't tell anyone. I figure since you know almost everything about everyone, it wouldn't really hurt to tell you."

"Actually, I have an offering to make. Is it possible for you to cook for the club? Prices of catering skyrocketed last week, and the host club would make more profit if the food was made here. Since you're here on someone else's money, we can split the profit. This way, the club still makes a profit and you are able to pay Mori off."

"You're offering me half of the food profits? That's awfully generous for someone like you. Not as an insult or anything, but..." Miki's voice trailed off.

"Unless you volunteer to work for us, all employees are paid. It's simple business."

"Oh. I'll do it. Sure."

"Wonderful. Welcome to the club, Miss Koizumi."


	2. Chapter 2: Crisis Management

Yay for timeskips.  
>The length of chapters is kind of trippy, but I decided to end the chapter when it seemed like a good time to end the chapter? I don't know.<p>

Enjoy :)

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><p>"Hey, stop it!" Miki laughed. The twins took this as a signal to continue pulling each of Miki's blonde pigtails.<p>

"I'm never wearing my hair in pigtails again," she muttered. "Shoot!" Miki then exclaimed. "The cakes!"

She dashed away from the twins and towards the school's kitchen, which the school had graciously allowed her to use. Once she got there, she grabbed an oven mitt from the counter and pulled open the oven door.

The scent of vanilla and roses hit her in the face like a brick. Miki took an apprehensive peek inside.

"Perfect," she thought, and pulled the tray out to leave it on the counter to cool.

The dimmed lights and quiet calmness of the empty kitchen were a bit of a comfort compared to the bright, crowded music room. Miki hummed in silence as she frosted delicate petals on the delicate cakes and set them on the delicate porcelain plates.

Honestly, she had little luck her first few times frosting the cakes, but during her next month of school and employment as the official baker of the host club, she had improved leaps and bounds in order to impress him. Since all she could do was stand in the corner with her tray of cakes and plaster a smile on her face, Miki prayed that idiot blond would notice something about her. Anything.

Miki carted the tray out of the stuffy kitchen and walked into the host club.

"Oh, Miki is back. Thank you, my dear," Tamaki greeted, his smile managing to outshine many of the lights in the room.

"No problem," Miki responded quietly, a smile naturally creeping up on the corners of her mouth. She handed out the plates to the girls seated at the table, trying to look as cute as possible. Tamaki was just so kind and generous, not to mention dashing...

Miki retreated to the corner of the room, leaving a lingering smile directed towards Tamaki and then turning to her fellow corner-occupier, Kyoya.

"The cakes look great as usual, Miss Koizumi."

"Thank you," Miki replied. "I think I've gotten pretty good at it myself."

"You know, your employment has actually begun to benefit the club. Instead of importing and catering our food, having you make them is a lot cheaper than you might think."

"Does that mean I get a raise?"

Kyoya laughed, the rare, velvet sound filling Miki's ears and flooding her mind. She couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Have you ever laughed before, Kyoya?"

"Depends."

"It's a yes or no question," Miki said, smiling and biting her lip.

"I have. I'm not exactly heartless."

"Then you're inexactly heartless, my dear friend." He paused before answering.

"I suppose." He glanced at Miki, who was more or less staring at Tamaki.

"Miss Koizumi?" It look a few seconds for her to redirect her attention towards Kyoya.

"Yes? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was going to remind you about the cherry blossom viewing ceremony tomorrow. I would suggest catering to the event."

Miki's mouth formed a small "O". She nodded and then turned away, but not before noticing the small disappointment sparkling in Kyoya's black eyes.

Later that afternoon, the host club found itself prepping for the next day's flower viewing ceremony.

"Mi-chan's gonna look so cute in her kimono!" Honey cried, jumping onto Miki's back.

Miki squealed and said, "Honey! You know I'm not that strong! I can't carry you! Mori, help!"

Mori walked over and plucked Honey off of Miki. "Mitsukuni, you know better."

Honey frowned and retreated back to the couch to reunite with his Usa-chan.

"Hey, Miki, do you know what you're making tomorrow?" Kaoru asked as he ran over.

"Green tea cake sounds good," Miki responded. "Maybe mochi." Her thoughts immediately shifted to Tamaki. "I just hope whatever I decide to make will taste good."

"Anything you make," Hikaru started.

"Will be great," Kaoru finished.

"Aw, thanks," Miki said, ruffling their hair. "Hey, maybe I should ask Kyoya and Tamaki about the menu. They're the ones planning the ceremony. Thanks, guys." Miki left the twins and tried to confidently stride towards the other two members of the club, who were hanging out with Haruhi.

"Hey, Haruhi," Miki said.

"Hi, Miki," Haruhi replied.

"Ah, my two daughters get along so well!" Tamaki swooned, pulling Haruhi closer to him. Miki averted her gaze to the ground and shifted her weight onto her other foot. She could already feel emotions rising to her face, exactly which emotions those were remained unclear even to Miki.

"Um, Kyoya? What's the food budget for tomorrow?" Miki asked, struggling to ignore Tamaki.

He pushed his glasses back and opened his trademark black book.

"Let's see, Miss Koizumi...importing the cakes last year cost 50,895 yen. You get 50% profit for food, so in order for your maximum profit, your budget is 12,500 yen." Miki smiled.

"That's good. I'm almost a quarter way through paying Mori back."

"Good." Kyoya smiled. "Don't work too hard, though. You don't want your grades to continue slipping."

"Kyoya, that's none of your business!"

"You work for me. It is my business. But I wonder, what would make our star student falter?" His voice conveyed ignorance, but the gleam in his eyes suggested otherwise. Half invested in the conversation and half invested in Tamaki, Miki's eyes stayed on the tips of Tamaki's shoes in an attempt to spy on him without making eye contact. He wasn't holding Haruhi anymore, to Miki's slight relief, but still, there was this creeping, sneaking suspicion that Tamaki was smitten with Haruhi lodged in the back of Miki's head.

Tamaki's shoes turned to Miki, and her head shot up in response. Kyoya scoffed at her newfound interest in the situation.

"Miki," Tamaki cried.

"Yeah?" Miki asked, her voice louder and higher-pitched than before.

"Haruhi's mad at Daddy!" He wailed. Miki's heart dropped like an amusement park ride at the mention of Haruhi's name.

He then wrapped Miki in his arms and began to cry on her shoulder. Her face immediately turned red.

"K-Kyoya? Help?"

His face was buried in his black book. "You'll be fine."

Miki felt her insides twist in dismay. She knew Kyoya was characteristically apathetic, but he was usually a little kinder towards Miki. Miki thought she meant more than that to Kyoya, her always-corner-occupier. She awkwardly patted Tamaki's head in an attempt to comfort him, her usually sharp mind not knowing how to react to the situation. Tamaki pulled away and sniffed.

"Thanks, Miki. But Daddy is still very hurt that Haruhi is mad at him."

"O-ok, Boss. Whatever you say."

"Now you too? Wah, both of my daughters are mad at me!" He dashed off and sat in the corner of the room, idly poking the ground.

"Wait, Tamaki, I'm sorry!" Miki cried, but he was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice. After a few minutes of watching Tamaki, Miki turned away. Trying to forget about him, Miki attempted to refocus her thoughts.

"Kyoya?"

"Yes?"

"What does your family do that makes them so rich?"

He cleared his throat. "They...they're in the medical field. They work with a lot of manufacturing and procedure."

"Oh. I don't mean to pry, but..but you don't seem too excited about the business. Not that it's a bad thing, though."

Kyoya paused for a while, his black book covering his expression. "Now may I ask the same question about you?"

"I thought you would've known that..." When Kyoya shook his head, Miki continued. "Well, since my family is related to Mori's and Honey's families, you would expect us to be relatively rich. Which we were. We manufactured specialized surgical tools which I believe Ootori Medical purchased from us once. Remember the company Kintsugi? Then my dad got sick and my family lost a lot of business, on top of a new competitor manufacturing the same, but lesser quality tools cheaper. We've been struggling to reach our former glory ever since. It's kind of jarring to go from dinner parties to microwave dinners," Miki said quietly. "We just never told our cousins because my dad was too prideful to admit that he needed help.

"I also told my parents not to tell anyone because I didn't want my friends to treat me any different because I suddenly had a lot less money."

"I see," Kyoya said, the pen in his hand suddenly moving much faster than usual. "Kintsugi? I do remember it-our family used to purchase from it before it couldn't keep up with our orders." The pen ceased to move. "Have a nice day, Miss Koizumi." And the black book shut close.

Taking that as an invitation to leave, Miki waved goodbye and left the host club.

Miki grabbed her book bag from her locker and began the long trek home, mentally calculating what she could buy at the store for tomorrow's ceremony. She wanted to finish paying off Mori, but somewhere inside her, she wanted to please the club and make more profit for them. Since the discount market was a bit further off from her house, Miki planned on going home and asking her dad to drive her.

Once she arrived, she saw her dad standing in front of the house, arms crossed.

"Hi, Dad! You're really early today."

"Miki, your uncle stopped by the house today and told me about you."

"Mhm?"

"Do you understand the severity of the situation? I thought you were going on scholarship, but instead, you're borrowing money from your own relatives."

"Dad, I didn't have the time to fill out the application before it was due. I don't understand why you're mad. I'm getting a good education and paying it off on top of that."

"I'm mad because you lied to me."

"I'm trying to make money for us, Dad! This is some of the best education in the country! And I'm paying Mori back! I knew this would happen..."

"You could have gotten a scholarship as well, but you were too disorganized to even consider filling it out."

"I received the scholarship application late because you had never given it to me."

"In a week, you are transferring from Ouran to Miyazaki High." Miki's mouth dropped. Her eyes flooded with tears and her book bag fell to the ground.

After a long silence, she asked, "What'll make you change your mind?"

He laughed. "At this rate, only if you could somehow resurrect the business. And we all know that's not possible."

Miki stared at the ground, resigned to her fate.

"Yes, Dad."

Miki ran to her room in tears. What would she do about her studies? How would she be able to make new friends? How would she finish paying Mori off? Tamaki. What about the host club and Tamaki? Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey, Mori, Kyoya?

Then it dawned on Miki that she still had to bake for one of the highest grossing events of the year, and her dad was definitely not going to drive her to the market.

She knew she didn't want Mori or Honey to continue funding her expenditures, even if she could pay them back. They had done enough for her. Calling Tamaki would probably result in either embarrassment or disappointment, something Miki didn't really need at the moment. If she called Kyoya, she would most likely be turned down. Haruhi didn't need to spend money for Miki, given her poor economic state, not unlike Miki herself. The only option left was to call the twins, whom she had somehow befriended over the past month.

With shaking hands, Miki picked up her cell phone and dialed Kaoru's number.

"Hello?"

Miki cleared her throat and made her best effort to not sound like she had just been crying.

"Kaoru? It's...it's Miki."

"Miki? You sound terrible."

"Do I?"

"Yeah. What's wrong? Do you want me to get Hikaru on the other line?"

"Sure."

"Miki? What happened?" Hikaru asked.

"Um, it's nothing, but I need to ask you two a favor."

"Sure," they said at the same time. "What do you need?"

"Can you go to the grocery store for me? I...I can't make it today and I need to shop for tomorrow."

"Ooh, fun. What do you need us to get?"

"Please, no tricks. I honestly can't have any shenanigans happen tomorrow. I trust you two."

"Fine, fine."

"Thank you. Ok, now about the groceries. I'll just email the list to you. Please keep it within budget, and don't spend extra money on me. I'll pay you back tomorrow."

"We'll do it. If you can tell who's who on the phone."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope."

"The one that picked up was Kaoru and the one that talked after that was Hikaru."

"No duh, Miki."

"I technically answered the question. Please, I just really need you to do this. You can me bother me tomorrow."

There was an audible sigh on the other line. "Just this once."

"Thank you so much, guys."

"Mhm." Miki swallowed hard, knowing she would miss these two troublemakers more than she thought. Not wanting her voice to crack on the phone, Miki quickly hung up and emailed the list to them.

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><p>The clock struck midnight and Miki was still awake in bed. She hadn't told anyone yet, but she was wondering when she should.<p>

At the ceremony tomorrow? But that would ruin the mood of the evening. How about the last day she was there? That would be the quickest and most efficient way to cut ties with the people she had learned to care for the most in the short span of a month.

Just then, Miki heard noises outside her room. It was her mom on the phone.

"Mr. Morinozuka, we greatly appreciate your generosity towards my daughter's education. Miki is transferring schools as well as completing her payment towards you next week. Unless she manages to resurrect the business, but that's impossible for someone with such little leverage.

"No, it's not yours or Takashi's faults. It's Miki's fault for misleading us. It's no issue for us. Don't worry; you've done enough.

Thank you so much. Have a lovely evening."

Miki's stomach churned. Her mom had decided to tell Mori's dad. And Mori's dad would tell Mori. Mori would tell Honey. Honey would tell the host club.

And what would she do about the remaining debt? What would she do about Tamaki?

Panic slowly set in. Miki scrambled to find her phone and text Mori.

"Mori, you may or may not have heard this yet, but my parents are forcing me to transfer to Miyazaki High and repay my debt by next week because they don't want me borrowing money from you. My mom just called your father and told him. Please don't tell Honey or the rest of the host club. I'm going to tell everyone the last day I'm here. Thank you so much for everything."

The reply came within seconds.

"My father just told me. I understand where your parents are coming from, but not their actions in response to yours. I won't tell Honey or the host club. As to the rest of the debt, I can easily find a way to pay that off. Don't worry. We're all going to miss you. Visit often."

Mori's text stung. It hurt to leave the people who had done so much for her in such a short amount of time. It pained her to tell the man she loved that she wouldn't ever see him again.

Miki curled up into a ball and cried the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3: Breaking Even

Because fluff and angst go together like cheese and crackers.  
>I tried to write a fluffy Kyoya, but I might have crashed and burned.<br>Heh.

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><p>The next day, Miki woke up with charcoal stains under her eyes and puffy eyes, which she went through great lengths to cover up with some makeup. She slipped on her dress and packed a colorful kimono for the cherry blossom ceremony later that evening in her book bag. Today was the day she would tell her teachers that she was leaving so that she would have the rest of the week to make up work and tests needed to start a new semester at Miyazaki instead of retaking one.<p>

She climbed into her mom's beat up car and tried to mentally prepare herself for the expected emotional turmoil.

As usual, she was greeted by Mori and Honey. Miki noticed Mori was somehow quieter, while Honey was blissfully ignorant of Miki's situation. "Mi-chan~"

"Hi, Honey," Miki said quietly.

"Why're you so sad?"

"I went to bed late doing homework."

"Keep your grades up, Mi-chan! We don't want you getting expelled!" Miki laughed half-heartedly.

"You're very right, Honey. Listen, I gotta go. See you after school at the ceremony."

* * *

><p>Miki couldn't pay attention at all during her classes. She tried reminding herself that these lessons were the last quality lessons she would get before transferring, but the mere thought of transferring spiraled Miki into a rabbit hole of worries and sentiments.<p>

She kept putting off the task of telling her teachers about the move because of a little voice in her head egging her to resurrect the business.

"It's impossible," Miki thought, quickly dismissing the notion.

* * *

><p>Miki left her last class early to begin baking. Thankfully, the twins had left the ingredients in the cafeteria fridge already. She began mixing and decorating different pastries, lost in her own world. For once, the stress of losing everyone and everything melted away like the chocolate used to decorate the eclairs she was going to make.<p>

At first, Miki was set on baking traditional Japanese desserts, but as a nod to the club's president and her crush, she decided to try and infuse French culture into Japanese and vice versa.

Hopefully Tamaki would appreciate the gesture.

"Is that eclairs I smell?" Tamaki's voice chimed in from the hallway.

Miki froze. "Um, yes. I decided to mix European and Asian cultures for the ceremony today."

"That's a brilliant idea! My daughter's so smart, just like Haruhi!"

Miki laughed quietly. "Yeah, just like Haruhi."

"Just came in to remind you that the ceremony starts in 15 minutes~"

"Crap!" Miki covered her mouth. "I mean, um...crepes...crepes are yummy." Miki started cursing under her breath. Tamaki laughed and walked into the dimly lit kitchen.

"Do you want Daddy to start the tea?"

"Oh! Wow, I hadn't even thought of that. Yes, please." He smiled.

"Green or black?"

"Both, please."

"Yes, ma'am." He reached over Miki for the kettle, his hand brushing over her exposed neck. "Pardon my reach," he said.

"I-it's not a problem," Miki stuttered, glad that the dark kitchen hid her blush.

Tamaki hummed cheerily as he poured out individual cups of steaming tea. She hadn't seen him so...focused before. It was a different side to him, which Miki truly enjoyed seeing. Miki took a deep breath. Since she was leaving soon, she had decided to tell Tamaki when he was alone, and now seemed like a good time.

"Hey, Tamaki?"

"What's wrong, my dear?"

"Um...er..."

"GAH! DADDY BURNED HIMSELF! HARUHI!" He dashed out of the room.

"I-I think I love you." But no one was there to hear her.

* * *

><p>"See, I was right! Mi-chan looks so cute in her kimono~" Honey whined.<p>

"Thanks," Miki said, smiling. She turned to her fellow corner-occupier.

"How'd you like the dessert selection today? I'm very proud of myself."

"I surprisingly enjoy it quite a bit."

"Surprisingly? You hired me for a reason, Kyoya."

"I hired you because you needed money."

"You're just as guilty of needing money. Don't try and guilt trip me." He scoffed and opened up his notebook again.

"By the way, do you and your father mind stopping by the Ootori residence after the festival today?"

"Today?"

"Or tomorrow. Whatever's best for your father."

"What is this, Kyoya?"

"Just a business meeting. Nothing to worry about." He smiled mysteriously and turned around, marking the end of the conversation.

Miki knew that was typical Kyoya, but something about him, then and there, made her want him to turn around again and resume their conversation like usual.

"The cherry blossoms are really beautiful this time of year, aren't they?" Miki asked, hoping this would prompt Kyoya to turn around again. He did, with a half surprised, half pleased look on his face.

"Hence the name 'cherry blossom viewing ceremony'," he retorted. Miki rolled her eyes.

"Wow, it seems like we have a genius on our hands," she shot back playfully.

"Thank you very much, Miss Koizumi. I appreciate your compliment."

"Don't expect much more of those."

"I can say the same for you."

"Since when have you complimented me, Kyoya?"

He was quiet for a long time. Confused, Miki began to step away and head towards the kitchen. "Well, to start, you have lovely eyes." Miki stopped and turned towards Kyoya. "H-huh?"

"You're not an idiot or a hooligan. You can hold your own in a conversation. Not to mention, you're very pretty." He pulled a blossom from the air and tucked it behind Miki's ear and smiled.

She was speechless. Heat rose to her cheeks and her eyes were wide in surprise. Perhaps he was just being a host, but something about his demeanor seemed so terribly real.

"I-I don't know what to say," Miki whispered.

Kyoya leaned forward. "You don't have to say anything, Miss Koizumi."

"But that would mean you would win our little word spar, and we can't have that happen, now can we?" Miki was surprised by her quick response, but she tried to hide it with a smirk. So many thoughts were racing in her head, it was hard to focus.

"I think I've already won," Kyoya whispered. Neither of them noticed that the distance between them was slowly closing, until Miki's hands were on Kyoya's chest and she was standing on her toes to maintain eye-contact with him.

"How-" Kyoya's lips served as an effective punctuation mark on Miki's short lived sentence. After a scant few seconds, Kyoya pulled away, leaving Miki feeling both happily lightheaded, strangely conflicted, and partly wishing the kiss had lingered a little longer.

"You may want to go check on your next batch of cakes," Kyoya chided nonchalantly, opening his black book as if nothing had happened.

Miki slowly turned around, a hand on her lips. It had appeared that no one noticed their exchange. She walked away, trying to pick up her scattered thoughts.

She saw Tamaki, and he smiled a beautiful smile at her. Miki sighed.

"What do I do? I think I'm in love with two people at once... Do I tell Tamaki? What do I do about the business meeting? Everything is such a mess..."

Once in the kitchen, Miki opened the oven and pulled out another row of cakes. She plated and decorated them, the methodical activity allowing her to focus.

She carted out a fresh batch of desserts, which she passed out to Honey and Mori first before stopping at the twins , and finally Tamaki.

The girls he was usually hosting were huddled around a calendar filled with pictures of the hosts, and even Miki herself. Her picture was on the month of July in honor of her birthday, and it was of Miki holding a tray of cakes in a maid cosplay outfit, smiling brightly. Miki recognized it from a week and a half ago. Everyone was in maid or butler attire that day, Miki included. She also recognized her smile-it was for Tamaki.

"Sit down, Miki! I haven't had time to talk to you all week~" Tamaki said, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Sure, Boss." Miki began stress-relieving exercises in her head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm fifteen. I somewhat enjoy school, but I do as well as I do because my family needs the money and I can't afford to slack off in school, you know? Anyways, I enjoy books and art. Also music."

"Music? I can play the piano!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Stay after school and Daddy can play for you!" Miki could see the stars in his eyes as he ranted on and on about his music career, using bright gestures and facial expressions. Miki couldn't resist smiling at his animated storytelling. When he finished talking, he sat down and spooned some of the warm cake into Miki's mouth.

"Mmph!"

"Isn't it delicious? You have quite the talent, Miki!"

After she finished chewing, Miki replied, "Thanks, Boss."

"STOP CALLING ME BOSS! I AM YOUR DADDY!" Tamaki stood up and relapsed into another rant.

However, this one was cut short by a stampede of girls returning to Tamaki. Some girls had their calendars open to the July, pointing and whispering. Miki clambered off of the couch. The host looked around at all of his customers' calendars and their one common denominator.

"Princesses," Tamaki started. "If you're fussing about Miki's picture, then I kindly request you to stop. She is my daughter and my employee. If you have any objections about Miki being in the calendar, then I will escort you to the exit. Any questions?" The girls around him were shut up immediately.

"Tamaki, you didn't have to..." Miki mumbled.

"I wanted to! Someone as cute as you doesn't deserve that." Miki smiled gratefully and blushed at his compliment.

"Thank you, Bos-I mean Daddy," Miki said quietly.

He winked at her and then began to entertain the girls for the last 15 minutes of the afternoon.

"So, Miki, are you ready to hear me play?" Tamaki was seated at the piano in the Music Room, and Miki was on the couch, eager to hear him play.

"Mhm!"

"Your wish is my command." He started to play, his fingers floating above the keys as if they were clouds. The dim lights in the club managed to shine upon Tamaki perfectly, creating a spotlight for the young musician. The notes almost seemed effortless, yet so painstakingly crafted. It was a balance between control and passion, love and lust. And every chord managed to take Miki's breath away, to the point where she was surprised she wasn't choked by her own awe.

The song ended with a dramatic sigh, echoing Miki's own. "Did I do ok?"

"Ok? You were amazing!" Tamaki sighed in relief.

"Good."

"Tamaki?"

"What's wrong, my dear?"

"Um, you see, I..." Miki was staring at the ground, half whispering, half sputtering her sentence. This was do-or-die, sink or swim. So many worries decided to flood into her already cluttered mind, the dominant one being of Kyoya.

Kyoya, Kyoya, Kyoya.

The blond looked at Miki worriedly, his violet eyes soft in the dark room.

"Tamaki, I think I love you."

"Wha-?"

Miki didn't respond, forcing Tamaki to continue. "Miki, I-I don't want to break your heart, but I have feelings for someone else." Miki could feel tears running down her cheeks.

"H-Haruhi?"

Tamaki quietly nodded.

"I-I see. I must go...I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye." Miki ran out of the room so fast, she would have forgotten her book bag if she hadn't tripped over it.

* * *

><p>"Why why why why why why?" Miki muttered. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it...Why did I throw away our friendship for something as stupid as me?"<p>

She stopped three blocks away from her house, out of breath and blinded by tears. How would she show up to her father like this?

She walked the rest of the way home, tripping on her kimono. Miki knocked on the door to her house, which was promptly opened by her father.

"Miki, you look terrible."

"Mr. Ootori wants to meet you at his house tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Business." Mr. Koizumi's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Do you think I made that up?"

"No...Hey, maybe I'll consider keeping you at Ouran."

But Miki was too far up the stairs to hear a word of her father's last sentence.


	4. Chapter 4: Calculated Risk

Super short chapter. I'm not sorry.  
>~<p>

Miki woke up on the floor the next morning at five in the morning. All she could think of was Tamaki and Kyoya.

There was this gnawing feeling in her stomach that she didn't really love Tamaki as much as her mind made it seem like.

Why did she confess to Tamaki? It was a good question that Miki had no answer to. Was she jealous of Haruhi? Was she somehow hoping that she had some redeeming factor that made her more attractive than Haruhi?

Was she looking for some sort of validation?

Miki rolled over and bumped into her bag.

"What the-" She glanced in it and saw all of the homework she had neglected the previous night as well as a crumpled grocery list. "Oh shoot..." She hadn't told the teachers about her transfer yet or shopped for the club.

She knew there were some essentials in the kitchen fridge left over from the other day. Maybe she could do vanilla cakes and cupcakes.

As for school, Miki would send the teachers emails and meet with them after class. Her phone buzzed.

1 Unread Message.

Miki held her breath in anticipation and checked the message.

"We missed you today. Hopefully my father and I can see you tomorrow.  
>-Kyoya."<p>

A pit of guilt began forming in Miki's stomach. She had forgotten about the meeting.

She checked her phone for the time. "5:30 AM  
>Saturday, October 15."<p>

"Saturday?" Miki asked aloud. "It's Saturday!" She sighed in relief. "I'm such an idiot."

Miki decided to text Kyoya back before she forgot.

"Hi, Kyoya! My father and I will be there today. Just text me the details.  
>-Miki."<p>

She wasn't sure of how she felt towards Kyoya. There was an attraction, definitely. Every time she spoke to him, she craved more; every time she thought of him, she felt the telltale butterflies. But she wasn't even sure if Kyoya felt the same about her. Things were moving too fast-Kyoya's sudden interest in her could be because of business, not true love.

Miki's phone buzzed again.

"6:30 preferable. We will be serving dinner.  
>-Kyoya."<p>

Dinner party? Seemed like a great opportunity for Miki to make a fool of herself in front of Kyoya's rich, businesspeople family. Dismissing the fact that he was awake at this time, Miki began wondering, hoping Kyoya felt the same.

She sighed and looked through her closet, looking for something presentable. There was a blue shift dress with some silver jewelry in there.

"I'm going to wow their family so that we can have our business back. I'n going to wow their family so that I can have my friends back. Because I'm going back to Ouran, no matter what."


	5. Chapter 5: Benefits Realization

It's the final chapter! Yay! Final comments are at the bottom. This is a super long chapter, but it's worth it (at least to me).  
>Preach, Miki. PREACH.<br>~It was 5:30, and Miki's dad was in a frenzy.

"Miki, make sure you look nice! Don't forget your makeup!"

"Dad, put some pants on before you tell me to put makeup on," Miki whined, fiddling with her earrings.

"I'm sorry. Geez, we've hadn't had a break since years ago. This is the opportunity of a lifetime."

"Thanks to me, Dad..." Miki had no idea what spurred this sudden business meeting. She didn't recall telling Kyoya that she was leaving, and Mori wouldn't have told him either. Then why did Kyoya tell his father if it wasn't to save Miki from leaving the school?

"If this works out, you can go back to Ouran, you know."

"That's why I'm so excited."

"You don't seem that way..."

"When I'm excited, I don't necessarily have to be jumping up and down and screaming."

"Very true."

"You ready, Dad?"

"Yup. Let's do this."

"Good evening, Mr. Koizumi. It's a pleasure to see you today," Mr. Ootori cordially greeted. "And this is your daughter? Kyoya has told me a lot about her."

Miki blushed and tried to hide behind her hair.

"I can say the same, Mr. Ootori. My family and I were ecstatic after hearing about you again."

Kyoya's father smiled, a sentiment that seemed more feigned than truly felt. Miki returned a smile of the same nature. It looked like the rest of tonight would be a battle of disguises and empty words.

Stepping into Kyoya's house, Miki was awestruck by the simple, classic opulence of it-the decor was beautifully modern, a tasteful blend of future and past.

Miki and Kyoya's fathers walked ahead of Miki, chatting about business and the like. Miki had a feeling Mr. Ootori's formalities and vague attempts at friendliness were all a ploy to further his business, not for the well-being of the Koizumis. Even so, Miki's family would benefit leaps and bounds if her company was kickstarted by the Ootoris' zaibatsu.

"Miss Koizumi, my sons will be out of their rooms in a few minutes. I apologize for their lateness."

"It's not a problem, Mr. Ootori."

The three arrived at a lavishly set dinner table. Miki hadn't eaten like this in years, and, shamefully, she was elated to eat at the Ootoris'.

Just then, the echos of footsteps wafted into the room.

"Here they are. The oldest is Yuuichi, next is Akito, and, as you know, the youngest is Kyoya."

"So, Dad, this is the heir of the Kintsugi company?" Yuuichi asked, eyeing Miki. "Pleased to be working again with you and your father." He walked up to Miki and firmly shook her hand after shaking her father's.

"The pleasure is mine," Miki quietly responded.

"Ha, we're working with Kintsugi again? They crashed for a reason," Akito scoffed, refusing to approach Miki and her dad.

Mr. Ootori pulled Akito aside and clearly whispered, "This man has good work ethic and good workers. We can easily buy their company or continue funding them. It's a better long term investment for us, compared to working with the other company." Miki and her dad exchanged glances in acknowledgement of what they had just heard. She felt a little uneasy about the obvious clarity of the message, as if it was meant to be heard by Miki and her father.

Miki looked towards Kyoya for a sign of reassurance, but his eyes were fixed on the ground, his lips set in a scowl.

"Kyoya, do you have anything to say to Miss and Mr. Koizumi before we begin the dinner?"

"No." Kyoya's words bit a little at Miki, considering yesterday's events.

"Alright then." The businessman shot a well-practiced smile at the two and waved to a standby butler to commence the meal.

"Bon appetit."

The butlers immediately brought out a steaming lobster bisque, garnished with fresh cream and basil. Miki's mouth instantly began watering.

"We haven't had this good of food for years," Miki's dad whispered, causing her to smile. In contrast, the atmosphere around the table was heavy, like a wet cloth over a fire.

"So, Mr. Koizumi, about Kintsugi...What do you say about a 1,000,000 yen loan, no interest?"

Mr. Koizumi's mouth dropped. "No strings attached?"

"For a year, Ootori Medical will purchase from Kintsugi Tools in addition to the loan. If you can pay back the loan within that year, we will continue to purchase from you. Otherwise, we give you another five years to pay back the loan or we'll either buy your company or force it back into bankruptcy." He waved at the butler for the next course.

"That's possible?" Miki asked.

"With our power, yes."

"I see." The butler carted out trays of fresh plates of steamed fish, which were subsequently passed out to the guests.

"Interesting offer. I'll have to discuss this with my family."

"You have to decide today, Mr. Koizumi. I don't have all the time in the world. You must decide by 9:30 today, or the offer's off the table. Dinner ends at 8:30. After dinner, you can retire in the room to my left and decide." Mr. Ootori stabbed a stray broccoli on his plate and ate it.

"Where does Miki go?" Mr. Koizumi asked.

"She can either go with you or try and complete her schoolwork with Kyoya. I've heard she is an excellent student, no?"

Miki half-smiled and tried to make eye contact with Kyoya, who she knew had told his father. He looked at her, but his brow was slightly furrowed. She smiled warmly, hoping to ease his nerves.

The next few courses passed by quickly. Miki couldn't calm the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that Kintsugi was just another pawn in Grandmaster Ootori's chess game.

After the dessert plates had been picked up off of the table and brought to the kitchen, the members of the dinner table parted ways.

"Dad, do you want me to stay with you?" Miki asked.

"Go and do your homework. I run the company. I should be able to figure this out."

"O-ok, Dad." Miki left her dad in the small room, and met up with Kyoya, who had been waiting for her.

"You've been awfully tense this evening," Miki told Kyoya.

"It's none of your business," he said coldly.

"You're my friend. It is my business." Kyoya didn't respond as he led her to his room.

"God, Kyoya, what's wrong with you? Your family sucks, I know, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be mean!" Miki shouted, her hands in fists. She immediately covered her mouth. "Sorry... These past few days have been...hard."

"Your dad shouldn't make the transaction."

"What?"

"Your dad shouldn't make the transaction," Kyoya said again, but this time with his voice raised.

"W-why?"

"It's impossible to generate a a million yen in a year."

"Then why would your dad ever even suggest the deal?"

"It's a show of aggression in the business world. If you had paid attention to the deal, our company profits either way: if Kintsugi can repay the debt, we get our million yen back and a constant supplier, but if your company can't repay the debt, we get our million back and we shut down a rival business, making it easier to strengthen ties with our current supplier."

"You don't understand, Kyoya! If Kintsugi can't get off the ground by next week, I can't go to Ouran anymore!" Kyoya was silent for a long period of time.

"When'd you learn this?"

"Couple of days ago." Kyoya buried his head in his hands.

"Damn it."

"I'd say we should do it. Since Ootori Medical and several other of our old business partners will be buying from us, we can easily pay it back. If not in the span of one year, we can do it in five. Your dad never said what he would do if we paid it off in five years. Maybe he would start purchasing from us again."

"That's absurd."

"Not really. Think outside of the box more, Kyoya."

"I can't! This whole goddamn zaibatsu business is driving me insane!" Kyoya stood up from his chair and knocked it over. Miki, who was sitting on the ground, scrambled off of the ground to evade it.

"Kyoya! Calm down and just talk to me," Miki said.

"It's hard pleasing my dad. It's hard outdoing my brothers. I-I thought I could help you and your family, but my dad is trying to scam you. It's all so jacked up and twisted," Kyoya said, leaning up against the bed. "You couldn't possibly understand." He laughed to himself, coldly and cynically.

"I-I might not understand, but I want you to listen. You're so out of touch with your father that you might not even know what he wants from you. Your brothers, they're ambitious and they're hard-working, but they lack even simple compassion or humanity. They don't care about anything other than themselves succeeding. To run a business, especially a health-care business, you need to feel something, at least. Maybe your father wants someone different than them to run the business.

"And even if you don't believe me on that part, do things that make you happy. It sounds naive and idealistic, but if you torture yourself trying to please a dad that doesn't give a damn about you to get a company that you don't even care about, where do you end up? There has to be more to your life than this, Kyoya," Miki pleaded.

"Then why do you torture yourself with...with that idiot?"

"H-huh?"

"I see you every day wishing he'd pay attention to you instead of Haruhi. Every day you torture yourself by watching him not care. What do you gain by pining for someone that doesn't see you as more than a friend?" Miki's eyes started to well up with tears.

"Shut up, Kyoya." Miki stood up from her spot on the ground. "Please...I don't even think I loved him..."

"Please enlighten me! How do you stand in the corner every day helplessly staring at someone you weren't in love with? Were you looking to feel some sort of validation? Did you want to feel special?" He was talking in a low voice, but his words were angry and mocking.

"Kyoya, stop!" Tears were streaming down her face now. "Stop!" Miki collapsed onto the floor in a heap of tears. "I know! I'm a terrible person, playing someone along so I could feel like I had some advantage over someone else...I deserved it all... but I thought you were better than that...Better than mocking someone who's trying to help you. I guess not! I thought you cared about me!" She lay there on the ground, quietly crying, for ages.

Kyoya didn't say anything, but he offered her a hand off of the ground. She reluctantly took his hand, and he pulled her off of the ground. Miki was then pushed into a chair. "I'm listening," Kyoya said.

"W-what?"

"Please explain." With wide eyes, Miki nodded.

"W-well, after the ceremony yesterday, Tamaki played the piano for me. And I was so shaken by the news of the transfer, I felt so insecure and inferior. So I told him that I loved him...and he rejected me for Haruhi..." Miki said quietly, wiping away tears as she talked. "And it was then that I realized that I was such a fool..."

"How?"

"I realized that I...may or may not have feelings for you..." It was Kyoya's turn to look surprised. "Sorry," she mumbled. Her heart was racing as it overwhelmed all rational thought.

"Don't apologize," he said quietly.

"You're being awfully nice...considering that you flipped over a chair and mocked me less than ten minutes ago."

"Would you prefer if I was mean again?" Miki smiled.

"Never said I had a problem with you being nice," she said coyly.

"Very true."

"Hey, Kyoya?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you love me or my business?" She could see Kyoya tense up. He didn't respond for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally he said, "Does it matter?" Her eyes were downcast, but she refused to cry again.

"I'd have figured you'd have lied in order to keep my affections."

"What's the point? You would have been able to tell," he said quietly, attempting to hide his guilt. The silence hung over the two like a wet sheet.

"So...let's do homework like we were supposed to. What do you think?"

"I'm fine with that," he replied, quickly turning away to face his bag.

"Do you happen to have a Calculus AB book?"

"Yes. Why?"

Miki nervously laughed. "I kinda don't understand a lesson."

"You don't? I'd have expected more of you."

"I'd have expected more of myself as well," Miki replied dryly. "Can I just see it?" Kyoya handed her a book that looked like it was brand new. "Is this new?"

"No. I used it."

"What? How? How does it look so new?" Kyoya shrugged. Miki rolled her eyes and lay down on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Kyoya asked, a small smile playing on his lips as he eyed the girl lying on his floor.

"Studying. I study better when I'm comfortable."

"Excuse me for asking, but how do you study a lesson that you don't understand?"

"I don't want to ask you for help, ok?"

"Why not? You feel inferior again because I'm not on my knees, begging for you?"

"Are you serious? You have your own stuff to do, and I have mine. You don't have to waste your time on me."

"I'm offering my time to help you."

"Ok, ok," Miki said. "It's the sine graphs." Kyoya walked over to Miki and lay on the floor next to her.

"I still have yet to see how this is comfortable."

"I asked you for help, not for commentary on my studying preferences." Miki was visibly irritated from Kyoya's sarcastic banter.

"Alright, alright. Well, a sine graph usually covers two periods, which is equivalent to 0 to 2pi in radians, or 0 degrees to 360 degrees. The curve always starts at the sinusoidal axis, which is 0 in this case." Kyoya pointed with a pencil to the graphs in the book.

"How is it different from the cosine graph?"

"You see, they look the same, but they're different. This cosine graph has the same period and amplitude as the sine graph, but the cosine graph starts out from the 1 mark on the y-axis."

"Kinda like you and your brothers, huh?" Miki asked, slightly smirking.

"Did you just request my help for a math lesson you already know to prove a point?"

"Maybe."

"You little devil," Kyoya responded. He couldn't hide the smile on his face either. "So do you actually need help, or are you just going to fool me again?"

"I finished my homework this afternoon."

"Good, because I was going to ask you for help."

"With what?"

"English. We have a writing assignment, and I seem to be running into constant dead ends."

"What's the topic?"

"The meaning of family. It's not the...easiest...topic I've recieved." Miki burst into spontaneous, sweet laughter.

"Oh, the irony!" she breathed. "Excuse me," she quickly added. "Back to the topic." She brushed a few stray hairs out of her face and straightened her dress, which she didn't remember being so short. "Family, to you? Well, what do you honestly think about your family?"

"They're successful."

"In relation to you."

"Good role models."

"What do they have that you don't?"

"Success." Miki rolled on her side to look at Kyoya in the eyes.

"And to that, I have two questions. One-how are you not successful? Two-is success is something you desire?"

"Well, I'm not inheriting Ootori Medical and I need to inherit Ootori Medical."

"Are you so sure to give up? Your father seems to say good things about you," Miki told him. "He may be strict, but he must care to some degree about you. Also, is success defined by inheritance? What does inheritance do for you or your family?"

"My two older brothers surpass me in many things. It's impossible to outrun them. My father...holds my brothers in higher regard. Success is pleasing my father. And my father would be satisfied if I could inherit the business."

"Wait, what? So your father wants you to inherit the business?"

"Not exactly."

"Then satisfying him isn't you inheriting the business. It's something else. I think he's going to be satisfied once you find your own satisfaction. You're not happy about anything, you know. You're always criticizing yourself and comparing yourself to your brothers. Once you do something that makes you happy, you're going to grow. And I think that's what's going to make your father happy. Not some stupid inheritance, right?"

"I suppose," Kyoya muttered, still trying to wrap his head around what she said. Miki's mind was a tornado as well. She didn't know what she was doing, she almost had no control over the words that came out of her mouth. She didn't know how to feel about Kyoya either. Hoping her small, slightly inspirational comments would somehow get him to love her, Miki continued. "So you should write that your family provides you the motivation to think differently and try new things. They spur you to innovate and to work against the current. They give you individualism."

There was a knock at the door. "It's 9:30 already?" Miki asked. Kyoya stood up and offered Miki a hand. "Thank you," she murmured in response, and opened the door.

"Miss Koizumi? Thank you," Kyoya said. Miki smiled.

"It's my pleasure." Kyoya offered his arm to Miki, and they walked back to the dinner table.

"So, Dad? What's your verdict?"

"I'm going through with it."

"Really?" Miki hugged her dad.

"Yes, really!"

"Did you tell Mr. Ootori yet?"

"Nope. Let's do this." The three walked to the dining hall, where Mr. Ootori was sitting and sipping a glass of wine.

"Have you made your decision yet, Mr. Koizumi?"

"Yes, I have. We'll do it."

"Wonderful." His smile was chilling. "I know your business will return to what it used to be. Then we can be partners again, no? Maybe your daughter can marry one of my sons. She is quite lovely."

"Maybe, maybe," Miki's dad said. "It's time for us to go home. I figure we'll meet again to sort out the formalities?"

"Yes, definitely. Expect a call from me later in the week. Now see them to their car, Kyoya," Mr. Ootori commanded. Kyoya curtly nodded and escorted Miki and her father to the door without a word. He opened the door for them, and Mr. Koizumi walked to his car and unlocked it while Miki remained behind with Kyoya.

"Miss Koizumi? Would you like to, perhaps, go to dinner with me tomorrow?" He smiled what seemed to be a true smile. "Not for business," he added.

"Not for business, you say? Ah, maybe I'll be as foolish to believe you again," Miki replied.

"And maybe I'll be as foolish to fall for you all over again."

"Maybe."

My sister helped with some of Kyoya's original OOC-ness in the first drafts of this chapter. Cheers to her.

Writing Miki was super fun. I truly envy her character. I tried to match up her personality to a zodiac sign (like the anime/manga sort of does-check out the OHSHC wikipedia page), so Miki is a Cancer. What a ride. I managed to finish this in a week (wow).

I apologize for any OOC-ness.

Hope you guys liked it!


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